Taxpayers pay $370,559 so far in Branstad lawsuit

A law firm hired to defend Gov. Terry Branstad against a discrimination lawsuit has been paid $370,559 in state dollars to date, with no end in sight for the case.

The state hired Des Moines attorney George A. LaMarca last year, after Iowa Workers Compensation Commissioner Christopher Godfrey filed a lawsuit accusing Branstad and top staffers of discriminating against him because he's gay.

Godfrey charges that the governor cut his salary by nearly $40,000 after he declined to resign.